1. Alabama (2-0):
The gap narrowed considerably in my mind in Week 2 because of how much progress
LSU made and how much Alabama stayed static if perhaps not going slightly backward.
The Crimson Tide's evolving problem protecting the quarterback is more glaring
than any of LSU's warts at this point.

Last week: 1
(beat Western Kentucky 35-0)

Associated PressA big step from Week 1 to Week 2 by Zach Mettenberger helped LSU make the gap between the Tigers and Alabama for the top spot in this week's power poll miniscule.

2. LSU (2-0):
It's been a while since I remember the Tigers putting together as thorough a
victory as they did against Washington. Take away the night Odell Beckham Jr.
would like to erase and there weren't many flaws at all. Huge step from Week 1
to Week 2, especially in the wake of losing veteran LT Chris Faulk for the
season.

Last week:
2 (beat Washington 41-3)

3. Georgia (2-0, 1-0 SEC):
Turns out old-man football can also be dominant, cram-it-down-your-throat
domination in the SEC. Georgia teased everybody with a ho-hum season opener and
then took Missouri to the SEC woodshed. The Bulldogs are set up for an awfully special 2012 season with a 2-0 start, especially if they can figure out how to win in the other Columbia next month.

Last week:
4 (beat Missouri 41-20)

4. South Carolina (2-0,
1-0 SEC): Quarterback depth and Steve Spurrier: That could be
a dangerous combination for somebody. The Gamecocks steamrolled a pretty decent
East Carolina team last week, again looking sharp on defense and the offense
showed signs of life behind the second-team QB - Dylan Thompson's 332 passing
yards. Two could be better than one for USC with a tricky stretch coming after
this week.

Last week:
3 (beat East Carolina 48-10)

Associated PressFlorida's Mike Gillislee leads the SEC with 231 rushing yards, but the Gators are winning with solid defense so far

5. Florida (2-0, 1-0 SEC):
There was an awful lot to like about Florida's win at Texas A&M last
season, particularly on defense and in the guts department in the second half.
The win also underscored that the Gators are going to have to win close,
grind-it-out games to compete in the SEC.

Last week:
8 (beat Texas A&M 20-17)

6. Mississippi State (2-0,
1-0 SEC): Very much like Florida, the Bulldogs claimed a
signature win last week, and now it's up to them to use that as a foundation
and not let it be a flash in the pan. Is there a new contender in the West,
ready to take the spot Arkansas and Auburn may have left vacant this season?

Last week:
9 (beat Auburn 28-10)

7. Tennessee (2-0):
Look who's flinging the ball all over the field with a lot more success all of
a sudden. Tyler Bray is healthy and leads the SEC with 321.5 passing yards a
game. That will put the Florida defense to a test this week in a game Tennessee
sorely needs to re-establish itself as a contender in the East Division. There
may be bigger league games down the road, but this looms as the biggest one so
far.

Last week:
6 (beat Georgia State 51-13)

8. Texas A&M (0-1, 0-1
SEC): Too much tradition and pride in College Station to
put much stock in a moral victory, but the Aggies certainly represented well in
their SEC debut. Johnny Manziel will be a force for years to come for the Maroon
and the defense held its own as well. Now the Aggies get their chance to make
the improvement from the first week to the second and you get the sense SMU
could pay the price.

Last week:
11 (lost to Florida 20-17)

9. Missouri (1-1, 0-1 SEC):
If Mizzou could've shown a little more finishing power, that first taste of SEC
football would've been pretty sweet. Instead, the Tigers pretty much need to go
back to the drawing board in terms of establishing a physical identity. Won't
be an easy stretch to get that fixed, with games against Arizona State, at South
Carolina and then at Central Florida.

Last week: 7
(lost to Georgia 41-20)

10. Arkansas (1-1):
If you're John L. Smith, do you even have a prayer of convincing your team that
it can stay on the field with Alabama? Probably not. The Razorbacks have to
start finding ways to survive now, because their defense is as bad as it's been
in recent years and Tyler Wilson won't last the entire season with the beating
he's bound to absorb.

Last week:
5 (lost to UL-Monroe 34-31 OT)

11. Ole Miss (2-0):
All of sudden, the Rebels don't look like clearly the worst team in the league.
And that could stay true for a while. IS Ole Miss going to contend in the West?
Heck no. But if the Rebels somehow found a way to stun Texas this weekend ...
well, 2-0 is a good start anyway.

Last week:
13 (beat UTEP 28-10)

12. Kentucky (1-1):
It would really be nice to find something positive to stay about the Wildcats
after they did, you know, win a game last week. Best I got, Wildcats fans - and
this coming from a serious college basketball fan - is that the Big Blue takes
the floor at Rupp Arena in just 31 more days.

Last week:
14 (beat Kent State 47-14)

APAuburn coach Gene Chizik has to find a way to get his team more consistent on offense or it could be a long autumn on the Plains.

13. Auburn (0-2, 0-1 SEC):
The Tigers are in a slow and painful freefall right now, but the 0-2 start with
both games away from home isn't totally unpredictable. Now AU gets a nice run
at home for three weeks and then road games at Ole Miss and Vandy. It's barely flickering,
but there is some light at the end of a long tunnel.

Last week:
10 (lost to Mississippi State 28-10)

14. Vanderbilt (0-2, 0-1
SEC): The 0-2 start is troubling enough. The 26 points
scored is even more alarming. For Vandy to be a realistic factor in the East,
they have to be a strong offensive team, simply because they will never be able
to recruit enough defensive players to dominate on that side of the ball. Long
road ahead if the Commodores don't get their offensive problems solved.

Last week:
12 (lost to Northwestern 23-13)

This week's schedule

Idaho
at No. 2/3 LSU, 7 p.m. (Tiger Vision)

UL-Monroe
at Auburn, 11:21 a.m. (SEC Network)

Presbyterian
at Vanderbilt, 11:30 a.m. (CSS)

No.
1/1 Alabama at No. 21 (coaches) Arkansas, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)

Texas
A&M at SMU, 2:30 p.m. (FSN)

No.
18/17 Florida at No. 23 (AP) Tennessee, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Mississippi
State at Troy, 6 p.m. (ESPN3)

Arizona
State at Missouri, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Western
Kentucky at Kentucky, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)

UAB
at No. 8/9 South Carolina, 6 p.m. (FSN)

Florida
Atlantic at No. 7/7 Georgia, 6:30 p.m. (CSS)

No.
14/12 Texas at Ole Miss, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Lagniappe

Neither
Derek Dooley nor Will Muschamp has beaten a ranked foe in their head-coaching
tenures, which changes when with the Gators and Volunteers colliding this week.

Florida
holds a slender 22-19 advantage against Tennessee, but the Vols have won 11 of
21 in Knoxville. The Gators have lost only once at Neyland Stadium, a 30-28
setback in 2004.

Alabama
has won 20 consecutive SEC openers dating back to a 35-0 loss to Florida in
1991. The Tide has won five games in a row against Arkansas. The Hogs haven't
scored more than 20 points against Bama since 2007.

Arkansas
is 8-for-8 in the red zone this season.

Manziel
had a hand in 14 of Texas A&M's 21 first downs last week: 4 rushing and 10
passing.

Despite
being the only team in the SEC that has played only one game, the Aggies
vaulted to the second spot in the SEC in sacks with 8 against Florida last
week. A&M led FBS with 51 sacks last season.